IMMANUEL—GOD IS WITH US
Introduction
When the kings of God’s people had not fulfilled their mission of guiding the people to God, the prophet Jeremiah announces that God would do away with them and become himself the shepherd of his people. But he will make this new beginning through a man, a virtuous shoot of the house of David. Through him, God would become his people’s integrity, the cause of our fidelity.
In the New Testament, as Matthew tells us, Jesus is this Son of David through Joseph and Mary and at the same time, God’s own Son. He is indeed “God our integrity,” and Immanuel, “God-with-us,” Jesus, whose name means “Saviour.”
Opening Prayer
Lord, faithful God,
in Jesus, you have given us someone
taken from our human flesh and blood,
a man, yet your Son,
through whom you want to restore
integrity and fidelity among us.
With him, help us to give to you
and also to one another,
the proper and adequate response
of faithful, serving love,
that you expect from your people.
Be our God for ever
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading: JEREMIAH 23:5-8
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: “The LORD our justice.” Therefore, the days will come, says the LORD, when they shall no longer say, “As the LORD lives, who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt”; but rather, “As the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of the house of Israel up from the land of the north” – and from all the lands to which I banished them; they shall again live on their own land.
Responsorial Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19
R. (cf. 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment. R.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. R.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory. R.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia.
O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: MATTHEW 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
Commentary
Be Calm, God is in control
In today’s Gospel, the theme of God’s closeness to humanity is the focal point. It shows us the two people who, more than anyone else, were involved in this mystery of love: the Virgin Mary and her husband, Joseph. The Gospel (cf. Mt 1:18-24) guides us to Christmas through the experience of St. Joseph, a person who is apparently in second place, but whose attitude contains the entirety of Christian wisdom. He, together with John the Baptist and Mary, is one of the people that the liturgy proposes to us for the time of Advent; and of the three he is the most modest. One who does not preach nor does he speak but tries to do God’s will.
In today’s Gospel, Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant. The text that follows tells us of his dream and he gets a message. What a courage does he display to believe something that he saw in a dream! This text can be considered as the Annunciation to Joseph. Joseph is a just man because he is capable of discovering the finger of God in the mysterious happenings within and around him. How often do we get angry, scared and frustrated because we have no clue of things that happen in our lives, in our families or work places. If only we could go to Joseph of the Gospels and listen to his gentle whispers in our ears. Joseph will have only one message for us: “Be Calm, God is in control”
In a year that may feel darkened by a pandemic, lack of access to the Sacraments, civil unrest, natural disasters, terrorism not to mention all the ills we continue to witness, attacks on marriage, human life and the family, St. Joseph is providentially offered to us as a sign of God’s constant kindness and tender love for humanity. As St. Joseph guarded, defended, and protected the Holy Family, so does he guard, defend, and protect the family of Christ, each of us.
In this Advent, through the Year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis invites us to walk with St. Joseph to emulate his virtues by discovering his “hidden life.” In the Gospels, Joseph does not speak a word, he is silent. But he followed the promptings deep within – the messages in dreams. Let us put it this way: He accepted the promptings of his heart as God’s messages and surrendering him totally to God’s will, he made all important decisions for Mary and for Baby Jesus. And God blessed his decisions. When we live for God, he blesses our lives.
Intercessions
– Lord Jesus, give us the integrity and the sense of justice that keep escaping us, we pray:
– Lord, may we learn from you to have pity on the weak and the needy, as you are good to us and merciful, we pray:
– Lord, as you are with us, make us also stand by the side of our brothers and sisters in their spiritual and materials needs, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
only someone untouched by sin
could love you as you deserve
and make us, sinful people
capable of responding to your love
as your sons and daughters.
Let these offerings be the sign,
that we expect your Son with hope
and that we are willing to follow him
on his loyal way of obedience to your will
and commitment to your justice and love.
Accept us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord, saving God,
we give you thanks for accepting us
in your Son, Jesus Christ.
In him, you make us both
those who are saved
and those who have to save themselves
and their brothers and sisters.
Make us fully aware
that we are your messianic people.
Help us to respond to your initiative of love
with all our cooperation.
So that one day all humanity may belong to you
and honor you as the Father of all
through our brother, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Do not be afraid, God is with you. We live in his hands, for he has given us Jesus, our Saviour and friend. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!